Christians Unite With Manhatten Declaration

Last Friday, 152 Christian leaders across America from the Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical traditions signed a 4700-word document entitled “The Manhattan Declaration”. The statement, drafted by national Christian scholars including Robert George (Princeton University) and Timothy George (Samford University), affirms three key truths from American history. They are:

1.the sanctity of human life;
2.the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife;
3.the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

In an interview with Mike Huckabee Saturday, Chuck Colson, a member of the drafting committee, stated: “We pledge to one another that we will not compromise or be a party to a compromise to the fundamental principles on which the faith is based and on which our country is based as well.” Colson committed to Jesus’ command, to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's” (Matt 22:21), and quickly added: “under no circumstance will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

He went on to say that the community of faith is taking a stand for what is just and good, and those signing the document are prepared to pay the price. Colson quoted from Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, “An unjust law is no law at all.” On Friday’s BreakPoint, Colson stated: “The Manhattan Declaration is a wake-up call—a call to conscience—for the church. It is also crystal-clear message to civil authorities that we will not, under any circumstances, stand idly by as our religious freedom comes under assault.”

This document is unprecedented in American church history. This document is not a political statement though many will try to spin it that way. Its neither right or left, Democrat or Republican. Its simply a unified call by believers from all Christian traditions to confront our toxic culture with biblical absolutes.

Yet, despite what many secular historical revisionists are teaching our children, faith played a huge role in the formation of the values which anchor our nation.

Christian thought has shaped the Western world for centuries. It was Christian ideas that swept into practice such noble ideas as the rights of all humans; the right of property; the right of conscience; the right of tolerance; and the right religion. Our world will be much different if these values slip away.

If you would like to sign the Manhatten Declaration, visit here.